Bearing cage, rolling element bearing and method

ABSTRACT

A bearing cage for retaining rolling elements of a rolling element bearing, the bearing cage constructed from a sheet metal element. The cage having at least one cage pocket configured to receive at least one rolling element. The at least one cage pocket is formed by two abutting cage bars that extend axially between a first and a second axially displaced ring element. At least one of the cage bars includes a first portion. The first portion is constructed by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the first portion extends in a radial direction of the cage and such that an axially extending fold is provided on the cage bar. A rolling element bearing and a method of producing the bearing cage is also provided.

CROSS-REFERENCE

This application claims priority to German patent application no. 102016224792.1 filed on Dec. 13, 2016, the contents of which are fully incorporated herein by reference.

TECHNOLOGICAL FIELD

According to a first aspect, the present disclosure regards a bearing cage for retaining rolling elements of a rolling element bearing.

According to a second aspect, the present disclosure regards a rolling element bearing comprising a bearing cage according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

According to a third aspect, the present disclosure regards a method for producing a bearing cage according to the first aspect of the present disclosure.

BACKGROUND

It is well known to make use of cages or retainers in a rolling element bearing for retaining the rolling elements in the bearing. There are different types of cage designs available, as well as different cage materials used, wherein design and material selection depends on various factors, such as type of rolling bearing, application specific demands etc. For instance, cages can be designed for different types of ball bearings or roller bearings, and also materials used can for instance be different kinds of polymers (with or without reinforcing material), iron, steel (such as sheet metal), brass etc.

One example of a cage that has been made from a sheet metal part can be seen in German patent application no. DE102006056502A1. The disclosure presents a cage that is made of a sheet metal and which has been bent into a specific shape such that it attains a form of a cage which is meant to retain rolling elements when the bearing cage is in use in a rolling bearing.

SUMMARY

At least one object of the present disclosure is to provide a bearing cage for a rolling bearing, which is easy to manufacture, flexible in providing design variations, and which also provides a reliable and stable running when the bearing cage is in use.

The object is achieved by the subject matter as specified in the independent claims. Embodiments of the disclosure can be found in the dependent claims and in the accompanying description.

According to the first aspect of the disclosure, the object is achieved by a bearing cage for retaining rolling elements of a rolling element bearing, wherein the bearing cage is made of a sheet metal element. The bearing cage comprises at least one cage pocket meant to receive at least one rolling element when the bearing cage is in use, wherein the at least one cage pocket is formed by two abutting cage bars which extend axially between a first and a second axially displaced and circumferentially extending element, such as a first and a second axially displaced ring element. In addition, at least one of the cage bars presents a first portion, whereby the first portion has been made by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the first portion extends in a radial direction of the cage and such that an axially extending fold is present on The cage bar.

It has namely been realized by the inventor that it may be economically favorable to provide a bearing cage which is made of sheet metal, but also that it would be advantageous for the cage's running performance and rolling bearing reliability to fold at least one of the sides in a cage pocket such that the rolling element in the cage pocket will contact a smooth surface of the sheet metal element, and not an edge portion of the sheet metal element. In previous designs, the sides of the cage pockets that are meant to contact and guide the rolling raceway surface of the rolling element when the cage is in use have been edge surfaces of the sheet metal element that e.g. have been cut. Such surfaces may present sharp edges and corners which would not be favorable for the bearing's performance. In addition, or alternatively, such edge surfaces may need to undergo some kind of treatment to make the edge and corners smoother, such as for instance by providing a chamfering operation. This would thus lead to another subsequent manufacturing operation. With the new proposed design such manufacturing operation is no longer necessary.

Furthermore, by providing a folded portion in the cage pocket, thinner sheet metal elements can be used. In previous designs, sheet thickness is determined by the required cage and rolling element contact width. Due to the folded portion this is no longer relevant, and therefore a thinner sheet metal element can be used, which will lead to lower weight, which is good for performance, but also to a reduced material cost.

Furthermore, by folding the material in a specific pattern a functional cage can be formed. This enables the use of thin sheets as raw material that is not bearing size specific. Thus, no size specific press tools are required. Therefore, the cage design is also advantageous for smaller production series and thus opens up for a more flexible manufacturing operation.

In addition, due to that the contact portion between the cage and the rolling element is emanating from a smooth side surface of the sheet metal element, it enables improved tribology compared to cut surfaces in known cage designs.

Axial and radial direction is frequently used as reference in this document. If not stated otherwise, an axial direction of the bearing cage or the rolling element bearing is referring to an axial imaginary line extending in an axial direction of a shaft/axle onto which the rolling bearing is meant to be mounted when in use (in other words the rotational axle of the rolling element bearing and the bearing cage). A radial direction of the bearing cage or the rolling element bearing is referring to a direction which is perpendicular to the axial direction.

The words fold and folding, which are used in this document could also be replaced by e.g. the words bend and bending. A fold can be seen as a separator of an extended surface such that it presents two surfaces on each respective side of the fold, which two surfaces are relatively angled. In other words, a fold can be represented by a line or area (straight or curved) which separates two surfaces and wherein The two surfaces are relatively angled. The fold may be represented by an essentially sharp edge following a line, but it may also be a more smooth transition (such as a curved profile with a specific radius) between The two surfaces.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the radially extending first portion presents at least one surface which is arranged to contact a rolling raceway surface of a rolling element in the cage pocket when the bearing cage is in use. In a further embodiment, the sheet metal element presents an upper and a lower side surface and an edge surface therebetween, and wherein the at least one surface of the first portion is a surface emanating from one of The upper or lower side surface.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the other one of the two abutting cage bars of the at least one cage pocket presents a corresponding second portion abutting the first portion, whereby the second portion has been made by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the second portion extends in a radial direction of the cage and such that an axially extending fold is present on The cage bar. It shall be noted that any specific embodiment specified in this disclosure of the first portion is also applicable for the second portion and vice versa.

In embodiments of the present disclosure, any one of the first and second portion may present an additional fold on its surface facing the rolling element when the bearing cage is in use. For example, if the rolling element presents a curved outer profile (such as a barrel shaped roller element) the surface of the portion may be designed to essentially match The outer profile of the rolling element. In an embodiment, any one of the first or second portion presents a contacting surface which is designed to contact the rolling element by a one-point contact when in use. In another embodiment, any one of the first and second portion presents a contacting surface which is designed to contact the rolling element by a two-point contact when in use. The contacting surface may also be designed with more than a two-point contact. In the case when there is a one-point contact, the cage portion will mainly function as a separator for the rolling elements in the bearing cage. In the case the contacting surface is designed with a two-point contact or more, the cage may also function as a guiding element for the rolling element.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the first circumferentially extending element presents at least one third portion, whereby the at least one third portion has been made by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the third portion extends in an axial direction of the cage and such that a circumferentially extending fold is present on the first circumferentially extending element. In a further embodiment, the at least one third portion presents a surface on a radially inner side of the third portion, which surface is meant to contact a rolling bearing ring of the rolling element bearing when the bearing cage is in use. Thus, the third portion may be designed as a guiding surface of the bearing cage. The surface may be guiding against an inner or an outer ring of a rolling bearing, i.e. the cage may be inner or outer ring guided when in use.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the second circumferentially extending element presents an undulating wave-like profile in the circumferential direction of the bearing cage. Such a shape may improve the cage strength and thereby lead to a more robust and rigid cage design. In an embodiment, at least one wave-form of the undulating wave-like profile presents a joint between two adjacent sides of The wave-form. Such a joint may e.g. be made by a welding operation, such as spot welding. This may even further improve cage robustness and rigidity.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the bearing cage is made of a one-piece sheet metal element. In a further embodiment, the bearing cage is made of a one-piece and un-interrupted sheet metal element without any joins or connections for joining any of the first and the second circumferentially extending element to any one of the two abutting cage bars. Thus, the cage is made of one piece of sheet metal that has been folded into a specific cage design.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, in the case when the first and the second circumferentially extending elements are ring elements, the first and the second ring elements are undivided in its circumference without any joins or connections for joining an interrupted ring element. In known designs one has cut at least one of the ring elements such that it provides an interrupted ring shape and then subsequently bent the sheet metal element into a cage form. Thereafter the previously made cuts have been joined together again by e.g. a welding operation. With the present disclosure, the inventor has realized that it is possible and also more efficient to make a cage by folding one sheet metal element without providing any cuts on any of the ring elements for dividing The ring elements.

In an embodiment, the bearing cage presents any other additional portion on any of The cage bars or circumferentially extending elements, which portion has been folded in an axial or radial direction and wherein there is present a fold that extends in an axial, radial or circumferential direction of the bearing cage. The additional portion may for example be used as an additional guiding surface, a lubrication reservoir, or it may be used to further strengthen the bearing cage and thereby increase its rigidity. In an embodiment, the bearing cage presents an additional portion in the cage pocket and on at least one of the circumferentially extending elements, which portion has been folded such that it extends in a radial direction and such that there is present a circumferentially extending fold on The at least one circumferentially extending element. Such a portion may for example be used to guide an axial end surface of a rolling element when the bearing cage is in use. Advantages of The portion are analogous to the advantages of the first portion.

In an embodiment, the first and second axially displaced ring elements are in the form of a segment of a ring element. In other words, the bearing cage is a segment of a ring comprising at least one cage pocket. The skilled person will realize when embodiments of the segmented bearing cage are applicable to embodiments of the bearing cage when it comprises a first and a second ring element and vice versa.

In an embodiment of the present disclosure, the bearing cage presents at least one slit in any position of the bearing cage. Slits may for example be made to facilitate the folding operation of the bearing cage. In one embodiment, there are slits provided at the ends of any of the first, second or third portion before the portions are folded. In a further embodiment, there are slits present on any of the first, second or third portion.

For most of the embodiments disclosed herein, the bearing cage has been made by folding the cage into its specific and final form. It shall however be noted that the folded first or second portion does not necessarily and only need to be used for a bearing cage which has been folded into its final shape. There may also be other bearing cage designs, which have been made without folding the cage to its final shape, where it may be advantageous to have a first or second folded portion as described herein.

According to the second aspect of the present disclosure, the object is achieved by a rolling bearing element, which comprises at least one bearing cage according to any of the embodiments of the first aspect of the disclosure. It shall here be noted that any embodiment of the second aspect of the disclosure is combinable with any embodiment of the first aspect of the disclosure and vice versa. The rolling element bearing may be any kind of rolling bearing, such as a ball bearing or a roller bearing. The roller bearing may e.g. be provided with cylindrical rollers, tapered rollers or barrel shaped rollers. Examples of bearings presenting barrel shaped rollers are spherical roller bearings, toroidal roller bearings and angular contact toroidal roller bearing, also known as SAT bearings. In an embodiment, when the rolling bearing comprises barrel shaped rollers, the first and/or second portion of the bearing cage is angled such that it at least partly follows the shape of the barrel shaped roller. In an embodiment of the bearing cage, at least one of the first and second portion is divided into at least two separate surfaces with an interruption (such as a slit) in-between The surfaces. In a further embodiment, the separated surfaces are angled relative each other such that they at least partly follow a curved profile of a barrel shaped roller. Advantages of the second aspect of the disclosure are similar to the ones already presented in relation to the first aspect of the disclosure and vice versa.

According to the third aspect of the present disclosure, the object is achieved by a method for producing a bearing cage according to any of the embodiments of the first aspect of the disclosure. The method comprises the following steps:

1) provide a disk-shaped sheet metal element, wherein the disk-shaped sheet metal element presents a central bore and at least one opening arranged radially outwardly from the central bore, The opening presents two abutting side surfaces which extend in a radial direction of the disk-shaped element,

2) fold a first portion of The disk-shaped element, which first portion comprises one of the radially extending side surfaces of the at least one opening, such that the first portion extends out from the disk-shaped element. It shall in relation to any of the embodiments presented regarding this method be noted that the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps are presented herein. The skilled person will recognize that the method also can be performed in other sequences without departing from the general concept of this method.

Advantages of the method are analogous to the advantages already disclosed hereinabove in relation to the first and the second aspect of the disclosure. It has namely been realized by the inventor that it is advantageous to make a bearing cage from a sheet metal element, preferably a one-piece element, and subsequently fold the element into a cage form.

In an embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the method comprises the additional step:

3) fold the disk-shaped element such that the disk-shaped element attains a ring form presenting an L-shaped or a U-shaped profile seen in an axial cross section of The ring form, and such that the first portion extends in a radial direction of the ring form (in this respect, the radial and axial direction of the ring form is similar to the radial and axial direction of the bearing cage).

In an embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the method comprises the additional step:

4) fold a second portion of The disk-shaped element, which second portion comprises the other one of the radially extending side surfaces of the at least one opening, such that the second portion extends out from the disk-shaped element.

In an embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the method comprises the additional step:

5) fold at least one third portion out from the disk-shaped element, which at least one third portion is located on a radially inner or outer side of The disk-shaped element.

In an embodiment of the third aspect of the present disclosure, the method comprises the additional step:

6) fold on one axial side of the ring form such that the side attains an undulating wave-like profile in the circumferential direction of the ring form.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Exemplifying and preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described more in detail, with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 shows a bearing cage according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIG. 2 shows a disk-shaped element made from a sheet metal element according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 3 shows a bearing cage according to an embodiment of the disclosure.

FIGS. 4a and 4b shows two bearing cages according to two embodiments of the disclosure.

FIG. 5 shows an embodiment of a method according to the third aspect of the disclosure.

FIG. 6 shows a rolling element bearing according to an embodiment of the second aspect of the disclosure.

The drawings show diagrammatic exemplifying embodiments of the present disclosure and are thus not necessarily drawn to scale. It shall be understood that the embodiments shown and described are exemplifying and that the disclosure is not limited to these embodiments. It shall also be noted that some details in the drawings may be exaggerated in order to better describe and illustrate the disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

FIG. 1 illustrates a bearing cage 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The bearing cage 1 is designed for retaining rolling elements of a rolling element bearing (not shown in this figure), wherein the bearing cage 1 is made of a sheet metal element. The bearing cage 1 comprises at least one cage pocket 2 meant to receive at least one rolling element when the bearing cage 1 is in use, wherein the at least one cage pocket 2 is formed by two abutting cage bars 3 and 4 which extend axially between a first and a second axially displaced ring element 5 and 6. In addition, one of the cage bars 3 presents a first portion 31, whereby the first portion 31 has been made by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the first portion 31 extends in a radial direction of the cage 1 and such that an axially extending fold 311 is present on The cage bar. Furthermore, the radially extending first portion 31 presents at least one surface 312 which is arranged to contact a rolling raceway surface of a rolling element in the cage pocket 2 when the bearing cage 1 is in use.

The other one 4 of the two abutting cage bars of the at least one cage pocket 2 presents a corresponding second portion 41 abutting the first portion 31, whereby the second portion 41 has been made by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the second portion 41 extends in a radial direction of the cage 1 and such that an axially extending fold 411 is present on The cage bar 4. In this embodiment, the first portion 31 and the second portion 41 extend in the same radial direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the first portion 31 and the second portion 41 extend radially outwardly. The first and the second portion 31 and 41 may in other embodiments extend radially inwardly or even one portion may extend radially inwardly and the other one radially outwardly. The radially extending second portion 41 presents at least one surface 412 which is arranged to contact a rolling raceway surface of a rolling element in the cage pocket 2 when the bearing cage 1 is in use.

The second ring element 6 presents an undulating wave-like profile in the circumferential direction of the bearing cage 1. Such a shape may improve the cage strength and thereby lead to a more robust and rigid cage design. In an embodiment, at least one wave-form of the undulating wave-like profile presents a joint between two adjacent sides of The wave-form (not shown in this figure). Such a joint may e.g. be made by a welding operation, such as spot welding. This may even further improve cage robustness and rigidity.

The first and the second ring elements 5 and 6 are also in this embodiment undivided in its circumference without any joins or connections for joining an interrupted ring element.

Now turning to FIG. 2, a disk-shaped element 10 can be seen. The disk-shaped element 10 is supposed to be folded into a a shape that represents a bearing cage 1, as seen for instance in FIG. 1. As can be seen, the disk-shaped element 10 presents a central bore H and a plurality of cage pockets 2 located radially outwardly from the bore H. In addition, it can be seen that the cage pockets 2 presents a first and a second portion 31 and 41 which has been folded such that the portions 31 and 41 extend outwardly from the disk-shaped element 10. The folding operation of the portions 31 and 41 can be made at any time, such as when the element is still in the form of a disk or later when the ring attains a cage form. The inner edge of the disk-shaped 10 element that defines the bore H will eventually become the first ring element 5 as seen in e.g. FIG. 1, and consequently the outer side of the disk-shaped element will become the other ring element 6. The disk-shaped element may be folded without introducing any cuts or divide any of the ring elements 5 and 6.

FIG. 3 shows an embodiment of a bearing cage 1 according to the present disclosure. The bearing cage 1 is designed for retaining rolling elements of a rolling element bearing (not shown in this figure), wherein the bearing cage 1 is made of a sheet metal element. The bearing cage 1 comprises at least one cage pocket 2 meant to receive at least one rolling element when the bearing cage 1 is in use, wherein the at least one cage pocket 2 is formed by two abutting cage bars 3 and 4 which extend axially between a first and a second axially displaced ring element 5 and 6. In addition, one of the cage bars 3 presents a first portion 31, whereby the first portion 31 has been made by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the first portion 31 extends in a radial direction of the cage 1 and such that an axially extending fold 311 is present on The cage bar. Furthermore, the radially extending first portion 31 presents at least one surface 312 which is arranged to contact a rolling raceway surface of a rolling element in the cage pocket 2 when the bearing cage 1 is in use.

The other one 4 of the two abutting cage bars of the at least one cage pocket 2 presents a corresponding second portion 41 abutting the first portion 31, whereby the second portion 41 has been made by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the second portion 41 extends in a radial direction of the cage 1 and such that an axially extending fold 411 is present on The cage bar 4. In this embodiment, the first portion 31 and the second portion 41 extend in the same radial direction. In addition, in this embodiment, the first portion 31 and the second portion 41 extend radially outwardly. The radially extending second portion 41 presents at least one surface 412 which is arranged to contact a rolling raceway surface of a rolling element in the cage pocket 2 when the bearing cage 1 is in use.

The second ring element 6 presents an undulating wave-like profile in the circumferential direction of the bearing cage 1. The first and the second ring elements 5 and 6 are also in this embodiment undivided in its circumference without any joins or connections for joining an interrupted ring element.

Furthermore, the embodiment in FIG. 3 presents a third portion 51 on the first ring element 5. The at least one third portion 51 has been made by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the third portion 51 extends in an axial direction of the cage 1 and such that a circumferentially extending fold 511 is present on the first ring element 5. Further, in this embodiment, the at least one third portion 51 presents a surface 512 on a radially inner side of the third portion 51, which surface 512 is meant to contact a rolling bearing ring of the rolling element bearing when the bearing cage 1 is in use. Thus, the third portion 51 may be designed as a guiding surface of the bearing cage 1. The surface may be guiding against an inner or an outer ring of a rolling bearing, i.e. the cage may be inner or outer ring guided when in use, but also the cage may be guided by the rolling elements without any contact with any of the inner or outer ring.

FIGS. 4a and 4b presents embodiments of the present disclosure wherein a part of a bearing cage 1 and a rolling element 130 on a rolling raceway surface 111 of a rolling element bearing 100 can be seen. The view is illustrating a part of a rolling element bearing 100 seen from an axial side of the bearing. In FIG. 4a a bearing cage 1 can be seen that presents a first portion 31 of a cage bar 3 and another portion 32 on the same cage bar 3. The portions 31 and 32 extend radially inwardly towards a center of the rolling element bearing 100. The rolling element center defines a pitch circle diameter PCD of the rolling element bearing 100. In this embodiment, the cage is designed such that the contact between the cage 1 and the rolling element 130 will be radially above the PCD.

Now turning to FIG. 4b , a bearing cage 1 can be seen that presents a first portion 31 of a cage bar 3 and another portion 32 on the same cage bar 3. The portions 31 and 32 extend radially inwardly towards a center of the rolling element bearing 100. The rolling element center defines a pitch circle diameter PCD of the rolling element bearing 100. In this embodiment, the cage is designed such that the contact between the cage 1 and the rolling element 130 will be radially below the PCD. In both embodiments seen in FIGS. 4a and 4b , a space 30 is created between the portions 31 and 32. The space 30 may e.g. be used as a reservoir for lubricant when the rolling element bearing is used. This may improve the lubrication in the bearing and hence it may lead to an increased service life of the bearing 100.

FIG. 5 shows a block diagram of an embodiment of the method according to the third aspect of the disclosure. The method comprises the following steps:

A) provide a disk-shaped sheet metal element 10, wherein the disk-shaped sheet metal element 10 presents a central bore H and at least one opening 2 arranged radially outwardly from the central bore H, The opening presents two abutting side surfaces which extend in a radial direction of the disk-shaped element 10, and

B) fold a first portion 31 of The disk-shaped element 10 (or ring form), which first portion 31 comprises one of the radially extending side surfaces of the at least one opening 2, such that the first portion 31 extends out from the disk-shaped element 10. It shall in relation to any of the embodiments presented regarding this method be noted that the method is not necessarily limited to the order in which the steps are presented herein. The skilled person will recognize that the method also can be performed in other sequences without departing from the general concept of this method. For example, the folding of the portions 31 and 41 can be made after the disk-shaped element 10 has been folded into a ring form as depicted in step C below.

Furthermore, the method may comprise the additional step:

C) fold the disk-shaped element 10 such that the disk-shaped element 10 attains a ring form presenting an L-shaped or a U-shaped profile seen in an axial cross section of The ring form, and such that the first portion 31 extends in a radial direction of the ring form (in this respect, the radial and axial direction of the ring form is similar to the radial and axial direction of the bearing cage 1).

Furthermore, the method may comprise the additional step:

D) fold a second portion 41 of The disk-shaped element 10 (or ring form), which second portion 41 comprises the other one of the radially extending side surfaces of the at least one opening 2, such that the second portion extends out from the disk-shaped element.

Furthermore, the method may comprise the additional step:

E) fold at least one third portion 51 out from the disk-shaped element 10 (or ring form), which at least one third portion 51 is located on a radially inner or outer side of The disk-shaped element 10 (or on the first ring element 5 of the bearing cage).

Furthermore, the method may comprise the additional step:

F) fold on one axial side of the ring form such that the side attains an undulating wave-like profile in the circumferential direction of the ring form.

In an embodiment, before folding any of the portions, slits may be provided at the ends of The portions to thereby facilitate the folding operation.

Now turning to FIG. 6, a cross section of a rolling element bearing 100 according to an embodiment of the disclosure can be seen. The cross section shows a plane wherein the axial center line X of the rolling element bearing 100 is in the plane. The rolling bearing 100 in this embodiment is a spherical roller bearing presenting two rows with rolling elements 130. As already stated hereinabove, the present bearing cage is not limited to any kind of bearing, but can also be used for other types of rolling bearings. The rolling bearing presents an inner ring 110 that comprises an inner raceway surface 111 and an outer ring 120 that comprises an outer raceway surface 121. The rolling elements are retained and guided by two bearing cages 1 and 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, in this embodiment, the rolling rows of the rolling elements 130 are separated by a guide ring 140. The bearing 100 may also be equipped with an intermediate flange or even without a flange or a guide ring. Furthermore, the bearing 100 may also be equipped with sealing rings on each respective axial side of the bearing 100. The seals may be fixed to at least one of the bearing rings 110 and 120, but also the seal may in an embodiment be connected to at least one of the bearing cages 1. In an embodiment, the ring element 5 located on the axial outer side of the bearing 100 may be designed such that it provides a sealing function of the bearing 100. The ring element 5 may also be coated on any of its radially outer and inner side, for instance with a rubber or similar, which may be used for sealing the bearing 100. The sealing means on the ring element 5 may be arranged to contact any of the inner or outer ring 110 and 120 when the bearing is in use.

Furthermore, the rolling elements 130 may be mounted into the cage and the rolling bearing and thereafter a last folding of the cage 1 may take place. In the last folding step one of the rings 5 or 6 may be folded such that it points in a radial direction to finally “lock in” and retain the rolling elements 130 in the bearing cage 1. This may for example be advantageous for bearings that presents a specific contact angle, such as a SAT bearing, a tapered roller bearing (TRB) or the like.

The disclosure is not limited to the embodiments described herein. It would be evident for the skilled person that other embodiments and modifications to the embodiments outlined hereinabove are also possible within the scope of the claims.

REFERENCE SIGNS

-   -   1: Bearing cage     -   2: Cage pocket     -   3: Cage bar     -   30: Lubrication reservoir     -   31: First portion     -   311: Fold for first portion     -   312: Contacting surface of first portion     -   4: Cage bar     -   41: Second portion     -   411: Fold for second portion     -   412: Contacting surface of second portion     -   5: First ring element     -   51: Third portion     -   511: Fold for third portion     -   512: Contacting surface of third portion     -   6: Second ring element     -   100: Rolling element bearing     -   110: Inner ring     -   111: Inner raceway surface     -   120: Outer ring     -   121: Outer raceway surface     -   130: Rolling element     -   140: Guide ring     -   X: Rotational axis     -   H: Bore     -   PCD: Pitch Circle Diameter 

What is claimed is:
 1. A bearing cage for retaining rolling elements of a rolling element bearing, the bearing cage being made of a sheet metal element and comprising, at least one cage pocket configured to receive at least one rolling element, the at least one cage pocket being formed by first and second abutting cage bars that extend axially between first and a second axially displaced and circumferentially extending elements, such as a first and a second axially displaced ring element, wherein a first one of the first and second cage bars provides a first portion, and wherein the first portion is constructed by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the first portion extends in a radial direction of the cage and such that an axially extending fold is provided on the cage bar.
 2. The bearing cage according to claim 1, wherein the first portion provides at least one surface that is arranged to contact a rolling raceway surface of a rolling element in the cage pocket.
 3. The bearing cage according to claim 2, wherein the sheet metal element provides an upper and a lower side surface and an edge surface therebetween, and wherein the at least one surface of the first portion is a surface emanating from one of the upper or lower side surface.
 4. The bearing cage according to claim 1, wherein the second one of the two abutting cage bars of the at least one cage pocket provides a corresponding second portion abutting the first portion, and wherein the second portion constructed by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the second portion extends in a radial direction of the cage and such that an axially extending fold is provided on the cage bar.
 5. The bearing cage according to claim 1, wherein the first circumferentially extending element provides at least one third portion, and wherein the at least one third portion is constructed by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the third portion extends in an axial direction of the cage and such that a circumferentially extending fold is provided on the first circumferentially extending element.
 6. The bearing cage according to claim 5, wherein the at least one third portion provides a surface on a radially inner side of the third portion, and wherein the surface is configured to contact a rolling bearing ring of the rolling element bearing.
 7. The bearing cage according to claim 1, wherein the second circumferentially extending element provides a profile in the circumferential direction of the bearing cage, the profile being in the form of an undulating wave.
 8. The bearing cage according to claim 7, wherein at least one wave-form of the undulating wave profile provides a joint between two adjacent sides of the wave-form.
 9. The bearing cage according to claim 1, wherein the bearing cage is made of a one-piece sheet metal element.
 10. The bearing cage according to claim 9, wherein the bearing cage is made of a one-piece and un-interrupted sheet metal element without any joins or connections for joining any of the first and the second circumferentially extending element to any one of the two abutting cage bars.
 11. The bearing cage according to claim 9, wherein the first and the second ring elements are undivided in its circumference without any joins or connections for joining an interrupted ring element.
 12. A rolling bearing element comprising at least on bearing cage according to claim
 1. 13. A method for producing a bearing cage, the bearing cage for retaining rolling elements of a rolling element bearing, the bearing cage being made of a sheet metal element and having at least one cage pocket configured to receive at least one rolling element, the at least one cage pocket being formed by first and second abutting cage bars that extend axially between first and a second axially displaced and circumferentially extending elements, such as a first and a second axially displaced ring element, wherein a first one of the first and second cage bars provides a first portion, and wherein the first portion is constructed by folding a part of the sheet metal element such that the first portion extends in a radial direction of the cage and such that an axially extending fold is provided on the cage bar, the method comprising the following steps: providing a disk-shaped sheet metal element, wherein the disk-shaped sheet metal element presents a central bore and at least one opening arranged radially outwardly from the central bore, the opening providing two abutting side surfaces that extend in a radial direction of the disk-shaped element, and folding a first portion of the disk-shaped element, wherein first portion comprises one of the radially extending side surfaces of the at least one opening, such that the first portion extends out from the disk-shaped element.
 14. The method for producing a bearing cage according to claim 13, the method comprising the additional step: folding the disk-shaped element such that the disk-shaped element attains a ring form presenting an L-shaped or a U-shaped profile seen in an axial cross section of the ring form, and such that the first portion extends in a radial direction of the ring form.
 15. The method for producing a bearing cage according to claim 13, the method comprising the additional step: folding a second portion of the disk-shaped element, wherein the second portion comprises the second one of the radially extending side surfaces of the at least one opening, such that the second portion extends out from the disk-shaped element. 